By Roxanne ReidWith a flexible spine and feet that grip like BF Goodrich tyres, the cheetah is built for speed and amazing acceleration. Ferrari, eat your heart out. No wonder you can't outrun a cheetah. But what physical adaptations make it so fast?

According to Dr Luke Hunter in his book Cheetah, the cheetah's lightly-built legs are the longest of any large cat, giving it a longer stride. But there's an even more amazing adaptation: their spine is the longest and most flexible of any large cat.

Hunter says, 'A biologist with a fascination for the slightly morbid once calculated that a legless cheetah could reach a speed of 15 km/h just by the bunching and uncoiling action of the spine. Combining legs and spine, the effect in the cheetah is a stride that measures just under ten meters at top speed. For more than half of every stride, the cheetah is completely airborne.'

The result for a cheetah running at a speed of 93 km/h is an astonishing three and a half strides every second.Yup, every second.

In the Smithsonian channel's video above, you can clearly see this speed and flexibility. Just another wonder of nature.

Thanks for your kind words, Erica. I can't believe the new format has taken me so long but I'm getting really positive feedback, so that's great.

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I'm an independent travel writer and book editor with a passion for Africa - anything from African travel, people, safari and wildlife to adventure, heritage, road-tripping and slow travel.Since 2015, travel buddy and husband Keith has been the primary photographer for this blog.We're happiest in the middle of nowhere, meeting the locals, trying something new, or simply watching the grass grow.In this blog you can discover new places to go, revisit places you've loved, or take a virtual tour of destinations you only dream about.

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